Nonpartisan Audit Recommends Governor Evers' Administration be More Transparent With COVID Relief Funds

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022 -- 10:01 AM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) A nonpartisan audit recommends Gov. Tony Evers' administration should be more transparent about how it has distributed billions in federal COVID-19 relief funds and how it plans to spend nearly $2 billion of remaining money. 

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin received a total of $5.7 billion in federal coronavirus aid between March 2020 and the end of June 2022, according to the Legislative Audit Bureau report, "Decisions About the Use of Supplemental Federal Funds."

Of that, $2.2 billion was distributed by Evers' Department of Administration to other state agencies like the Department of Revenue, Department of Health Services, and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

The audit bureau's report states there are still $1.9 billion in remaining federal funds, which Evers' administration indicated it has plans for using. The bureau used Wisconsin's internal accounting system to determine that funding went toward things like small business recovery grants, public health emergency supplies, local government recovery grants and programs that support the state's tourism and farming industries. 

Evers has unilateral discretion in how most of the federal funds are spent. In January 2022, Republicans in the state Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment to require a legislative committee to approve a spending plan first.

The amendment would sidestep a likely veto from Eves, but must pass two consecutive sessions of the Legislature and be approved by a statewide referendum before going into effect.

A letter from state auditor Joe Chrisman to members of the Legislature's audit committee says the Department of Administration did not provide the audit bureau with information the agency and Evers' office considered when deciding how to use $4.5 billion in discretionary federal funds.

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